Electoral campaign plays a vital role in any democratic society. The 2022 Philippines presidential election has been among the most divisive and digitally active campaigns. Numerous political messaging strategies have been used to create a compelling and persuasive message to engage the electorate. This study contributes to the growing global literature on message and platform studies focusing on political message strategies and transmedia. This research utilized qualitative content analysis of online and offline campaign materials and in-depth interviews with campaign strategists to compare the political message strategies of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Leni Robredo during their electoral campaigns. The study evaluated the campaign materials such as multimedia, artworks, and speeches throughout the campaign period. It also explored the use of transmedia storytelling to connect narratives across marketing platforms. The study found that political message framing revolves around patriotism, unity, compassion, post-pandemic response, and hope for a better nation. Electoral campaigns are now carried out heavily on social media which efficiently engages the public. However, traditional political tactics still perform because they can persuade a specific demographic. Transmedia storytelling is a potent tool to communicate the political message. In the age of user-generated content politics, the potential to persuade the electorate through social media such as Facebook and TikTok is limitless. Moreover, this comparative analysis further concludes that while both candidates utilized a theme of "unity," how they delivered to people impacted whether a message would resonate or not with the voting public.

Authors:
Rayns Keneth Ampon, King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand
Jessada Salathong, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Mr. Rayns Keneth Sabalboro Ampon is a full-time faculty at the School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut University. His research interests are election campaigns, strategic political communication, social media consumption, fans, and AI in education.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayns-keneth-ampon-75210216a/

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